Mike Delfino

Mike Delfino
File:Mike Delfino dh.jpg James Denton as Mike Delfino
First appearance	Pilot (episode 1.01)
Created by	Marc Cherry
Portrayed by	James Denton
In-universe information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Plumber former Hitman
Family	Nick Delfino (father)
Spouse	Dierdre Taylor (ex-fiancé; deceased) Amy Delfino (wife; deceased) Edie Britt (ex-girlfriend) Susan Mayer (wife)
Children	Zach Young (biological son) Julie Mayer (step-daughter)
Relatives	Sophie Bremmer (mother-in-law) Addison Prudy (father-in-law)

Mike Delfino is the name of a fictional character on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. The character is played by actor James Denton.

History

"I don't want to wake up another morning without her lying next to me."

— Mike Delfino about Susan Mayer

Season One

Mike Delfino is a man who posed as the friendly neighborhood plumber, but who was actually working to find his former girlfriend (Deirdre Taylor) who had been missing for years and whose father, Noah, was dying. It was discovered that the toy chest that was dug up from the Young family pool contained the remains of Deirdre. Delfino was at one point convicted of dealing drugs and committing manslaughter when he accidentally killed a corrupt cop who was forcing Deirdre to have sex with him to keep quiet about her drug addiction (Deirdre, not Mike, was the drug dealer).

Season Two

Mike is Zach's biological father. In the process of his investigation, Mike struck up a romance with Susan Mayer. The relationship hit shaky ground upon the discovery that Mike was Zach's father. Susan was understandably afraid of Zach after having been held up by him, and she also felt the need to protect her daughter from Zach. For these reasons, Susan not only encouraged Zach to head to Utah, but gave him the money to get there as well. When Mike discovered that Susan sent Zach to Utah, he ended their relationship up to that moment.

After Edie Britt sets Susan Mayer's home on fire, Mike helped Susan obtain a wire to convince Edie to confess. Mike then asks Susan if she would consider moving in. Susan gives the thought consideration and leaves Mike's house. Later they make up and he wants to propose to her in the second season's finale, but on his way he is hit on purpose by a car driven by the dentist Orson Hodge.

Season Three

Mike survived, but was in a coma from which he woke up 7 months later but suffered retrograde amnesia, losing the last 2 years of his past. Having forgotten his relationship with Susan Mayer, Mike had new, distorted ones suggested to him by Edie Britt.

He was soon arrested as Monique Polier's (whom he somewhat remembers) blood was found on his wrench and subsequently dumped by Edie. Since then Susan and Ian are doing the best they can to get him out of jail. In prison he is found by Paul Young who attempts to befriend him in order for Zach to contact him and try to find Felicia Tilman, of whom he was accused of murdering at the end of Season Two.

Later he visited a hypnotherapist to try to remember who murdered Monique Polier. Flashbacks helped him regain all of his memory, and Mike confronted Orson Hodge, and fought with him. During this fight, Orson attempted to evade Mike and fell off the hospital roof. The police have to release Mike when they find Alma and Monique's teeth and suicide note. Mike witnesses Ian propose to Susan and is saddened when she accepts.

Later Mike learns that Ian had seen the engagement ring, with which Mike was going to propose to Susan, the night he got hit by a car and says to Ian he knows Ian only proposed to Susan so early because Susan may learn the truth. They make a deal where if Mike wins the poker game they are playing Ian will allow Mike to tell Susan anything but if Ian wins Mike cannot say anything to Susan and he is to leave them alone. Ian wins and Mike cannot tell Susan anything.

Nevertheless, despite his loss, Mike's feelings for Susan continue to grow. He is constantly seen as a threat by Ian, especially after Mike saves him from their car, which was overturned in a lake. After a heated argument between Ian and Susan, she walks over to Mike's for consolation, and they share an intimate kiss. This renews Mike's belief in the possibility of winning her back, and so he continually forces his way into her and Ian's lives, even confessing to what occurred at the poker game. After learning about this, Susan sends both of them away and cancels her wedding with Ian.

Ian and Mike continued to pursue Susan, but were shot down with each attempt. Eventually, Susan announced that she would go through with her marriage to Ian and she explained to Mike her reasonings for this. Upset by this, Mike left a Dear John Letter on her voicemail saying goodbye. Under the cover of the night he left Wisteria Lane and Susan (who had been dumped by Ian because of her continued love of Mike) behind.

Mike is on a camping trip, so Susan goes to the woods to find him. She and her wilderness guide, Toni, get lost in the woods. Susan complains to Toni about her complicated love life, and Toni yells at Susan and tells her that she doesn't think Susan can handle a permanent relationship because she invites in too much drama. Susan decides to sneak off while Toni is sleeping and try to find Mike on her own. Back at the campground, the one hiker is reported lost, and Mike recognizes Susan from her description. Susan leaves a message on Mike's cell phone promising him that if he takes her back that she will not make their relationship dramatic and they will be a normal couple. In the morning, Mike finds Susan and picks her up and they kiss.

Mike and Susan go out to dinner, the night exactly a year after he and Susan were meant to get engaged and Mike got ran over. Susan waits for Mike to pop the question all night, but Susan’s disappointed when he doesn't. On the way home, Susan tells Mike what she expected and when they pull up into Wisteria Lane the trailer Susan decorated on the night they intended to get engaged was waiting on her driveway. They live the experience they were meant to have that night and they get engaged.

Mike later marries Susan in the woods in the middle of the night. Susan surprises him with a small wedding because she doesn't want to put pressure on Mike to give her an expensive wedding.

Season Four

In the first episode of Season Four, Mike and Susan find out from the new neighbour and doctor Adam Mayfair that Susan is pregnant and Mike tells Susan he has never been happier. In the second episode of Season 4 "Smiles of a Summer Night" Julie asks Susan if she can go to a party, however Mike tells her he'd rather her not go due to the fact he's seen some crazy parties in the house where Julie was going too even though Susan had given Julie permission to go to the party she sided with Mike and Julie was banned. However Susan decided to go behind Mike's back and tell Julie she just wanted Mike to feel part of the decision making process and she allowed Julie to attend the party. Later that night Mike tells Susan he drove past the house earlier on and saw things like girls running around topless, people staggering around drunk and music blaring. Susan said she needed to run to the store and she went to the party to pick up Julie however some boys at the party mistaked her for a stripper but she told them she was pregnant and she took Julie and Dylan who was with her home. Mike later found out and he told Susan that he respects her decisions on how to raise Julie how she wants as it's her child.

Trivia

• Mike was originally planned to be played by an Italian American actor. James Denton still doesn't understand why he was eventually chosen.
• When the pilot was first being written, Mike was supposed to move to Wisteria Lane with a 5-year-old son named Timmy. Mike was never supposed to have a mystery. The plot was then reconceived, him having a son was scrapped and instead Mike was then placed into the Mary Alice/Deirdre storyline. Instead of having a son by his marriage to his late wife, Mike was given an illegimate son by Deirdre. This turned out to be Narrator Mary Alice's supposed son Zach Young.
• The pilot episode, it's said that Mike's a widower, although her name isn't mentioned. In the unaired pilot, Timmy's mother and Mike's deceased wife, was named Amy. The producers decided to let Deirdre be the former "wife" even though she and Mike never married.